Holiday travel planning tips from the experts

It’s the same old question travelers ask themselves year after year: When should I book? And the way we’ve been seeing one travel deal after another, one tactic is to wait. Wait, don’t wait, wait, don’t wait — what should we do?

In the end, it depends on how flexible you can be with your schedule. Here are a variety of tips and holiday travel advice from the experts. We’ll let them tell you which days are best for your budget. Don’t forget: This year Thanksgiving falls on Nov. 26 and Christmas is Friday, Dec. 25.

And also don’t forget that there is a $10 surcharge for peak travel dates now. Read FareCompare’s breakdown of the dates. Holiday Travel Surcharge Extended to Thirteen Days in 2009/10

FareCompare | Holiday Travel 2009: Guide for Buying Cheap Holiday Flights

This calendar highlights the best and worst days for getting good fares in November and December. For the Thanksgiving holiday, the best days to travel are Nov. 21, 22, 23, 26, 27, 30. The worst dates to fly are the Wednesday before Thanksgiving (Nov. 25) and the Sunday following Thanksgiving (Nov. 29). In December, you want to avoid traveling on the Sunday and Wednesday before Christmas (Dec. 20, 23) and the Sunday following New Year’s (Jan. 3). You’ll save yourself some money if you can also avoid traveling on Dec. 27, 30 and Jan. 2.

Anne Banas | Smarter Travel

“Due to capacity cuts, it is not only about finding a deal this season, it’s about getting a seat,” said Anne Banas, executive editor of SmarterTravel. “My advice is if you see a deal, book it now; don’t wait for prices to drop further because they likely won’t and your seat will be gone.”

Don’t miss Smarter Travel’s article, Eight Ways to Save on Holiday Travel

Barbara Messing | Hotwire Travel Ticker

“If you haven’t booked your holiday travel yet, I would suggest doing that now. October is a very good time to book travel because you will still see some good options on pricing and routes. I have a couple of recommendations to keep both your costs and stress in check.

If possible, try to fly nonstop out of a popular airline hub. You will find more competition among airlines and thus better pricing. More importantly, by flying nonstop you will not get stuck at one of your connections with your tired and cranky family, nor will your luggage with all of the Christmas presents end up at the wrong airport. If you do have to make a connection, try flying on the off-peak days of the holiday, and when picking your routing, avoid hubs that get frequent weather delays.

Finally, treat yourself well. If you don’t want to sleep on grandma’s air mattress, check out the amazing hotel rates during holiday weekends. Business travelers who head home for the holidays leave empty hotels, which translates to great discounts to gain your business. Or even better, leave the kids on the air mattress and enjoy a hotel getaway for yourselves.” — Barbara Messing, vice president of Travel Ticker

Note: You can also follow @Travel_Ticker on Twitter for more tips. (One of the top 21 Twitterers to follow, according to Conde Nast Traveler’s Oct. ‘09 issue.)

Expedia | Fall Tips & Flight Fare Calendar

Expedia says that fall fares will not skyrocket as some reports suggested. But Travel Expert Chris McGinness says not to wait to book your flights. “As airlines continue to trim schedules, flights are increasingly likely to sell out — especially at times popular with business travelers, such as Friday afternoon, Sunday afternoon and Monday morning.”

Note: You can use Expedia’s  Flight Fare Calendar year-round to compare prices on different dates.

Catharine Hamm | Los Angeles Times Travel

“Don’t go at all — at least, not right now. Go later when you can relax a little more and maybe plan some special outings with friends and families, hold a cookie exchange, prepare a special dinner or go caroling, whatever makes you happy and relaxed — the later being the operative word. If you stick around home for the holidays, check out things to do and specials locally to help you get into the spirit. And remember, the holidays are really about those you love, and if you love them, it doesn’t really matter if you see them on Dec. 25 or April 4.”—Catharine Hamm, Los Angeles Times Travel editor

— Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times Travel & Deal blogger

Photo: U.S. Airways ticketing agent Elizabeth Miles helps customers depart at LAX on Christmas Eve, 2008. Credit: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 6, 2009 at 3:30 pm by Jen Leo and is filed under Airline travel, Family & Kids, News, Tips & Advice, Winter. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.